David C. Downing

This is a diverting enough adventure story - a sort of Dan Brown-esque quest for Arthurian legends, sprinkled with a little bit of Christian intellectual thought from the Inklings, and, of course, a will-they-won't-they romantic sub-plot.

The whole concept is pretty preposterous: two Americans in Oxford in 1940 both just happen to reach for the same book in Blackwell's (possibly the best bookshop in the world, btw). Tom is a doctoral student writing a guidebook on Arthurian sites in the UK, and Laura is living with her aunt to look after her during the war. But she also just happens to have 5 recurring dreams involving crosses, knights and abbeys. As you do.

As Tom and Laura travel around various sites of interest in a sort of grail quest there are shadowy figures lurking in the background following them, and a dapper Dutchman who is fond of religious relics. Somehow, Tom gets invited into the fold of the Inklings, the Oxford group which included CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and Charles Williams, amongst others, and where the novel works best is in these moments. Lifting quotes from letters, books and other sources, Downing creates a very real sense of the intellectual banter and the astonishing learning of these men. The discussions on Christianity and myths is often poignantly set against the 1940 setting, as Britain struggles to hold off the Nazi menace.

Like Dan Brown (who Downing happily seems to take a few swipes at), this is all hokum. The quest or chase elements are pretty sedentary, to be honest, so if you are looking for a rip-roaring adventure then this isn't for you. It's quite wordy - lots of conversations and deep thinking, which is fine if you are interested in it (which I was), but probably not so much if you aren't interested in the Inklings group.

All in all, this was fine. Nothing startling, quite diverting, but also pretty much as predictable as you can imagine. Harmless fun, with the benefit of some decent research and a loving nod to the Inklings. 2.5 stars, rounded up because of my interest in the Inklings!… (altro)

C. S. Lewis was a complex person. On the one hand, he was an intellectual Christian apologist who published Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Four Loves. On the other hand, he's probably more famous now for his Chronicles of Narnia and Space Trilogy.

In Into the Region of Awe, Downing traces the mystical influences in Lewis' writing. Drawing not only on his major published works, but also letters and marginalia from Lewis' own library, he shows the influence that mystics like John of the Cross and Julian of Norwich had on his Christian life and thought.

Especially interesting for me was the chapter dedicated to Lewis' Space Trilogy. I read these books in high school but much of the theological and mystical depth was lost on me. Downing's survey of these books makes me want to return and read them again.

As you might expect from such a rigorous thinker, Lewis didn't swallow all forms of Christian mysticism uncritically. Fortunately, he was able to avoid the stifling skepticism that so often plagues intellectuals.

If you read C. S. Lewis, you will likely enjoy Downing's Into the Region of Awe.… (altro)

This book weaves a tale of two Americans in England in 1940 with the Inklings, who gathered at least weekly in Oxford to discuss their various literary projects Tom McCord is looking to be a doctoral candidate, but is doing research on a sort of Arthurian travel book. He meets up with Laura Hartman, who has dream of various sites that they end up visiting together. A romance ensues. They meet up several times with the key Inklings, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams and discuss their life myth, and Christian underpinnings. The author does not want to project anything happening that can't be verified historically, so Arthurian things and the Spear of Longinus go into a dwindling effect as one progresses through the novel. But it is an interesting read, nonetheless.… (altro)